Waxhaw's five license-plate-reading cameras are staying put, and Police Chief Dexter Wilson wants residents to know the department isn't hiding how it uses them.
"Flock is brilliant," Wilson told Queen City News in a story published Thursday, Aug. 20. "It has helped us solve so many crimes."
Wilson's defense came as the national privacy group DeFlock organized its National Week of Action Against Automatic License Plate Readers, which ran Aug. 16–22. More than 25,000 people registered for events across the country, according to NPR. The group also promoted a website, HaveIBeenFlocked.com, that lets drivers search whether their plates have been queried through Flock databases.
The campaign gained traction after two officers in the Charlotte region were arrested for allegedly misusing the technology. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officer Seth Elliott was charged July 29 with illegally accessing a government computer after investigators said he used Flock and the state's CJLEADS database to look up an undercover officer's plate and pass the information to the subject of a drug investigation, according to Police1. In Mooresville, Officer Elizabeth Snowman was arrested in early August and charged after allegedly accessing Flock cameras 31 times for personal use to track her boyfriend's ex-wife, ABC News reported. Mooresville Police Chief Ron Campurciani said the department is investigating 10 additional employees for potential misuse.
Wilson drew a sharp contrast with Waxhaw's approach. The department maintains an online transparency portal, one of a relatively small number in the Charlotte region, that lets residents see how many plate searches have been conducted and which agencies can access shared data.
Wilson said the department has nothing to hide and isn't running residents' information for improper purposes. Officers are regularly reminded the system is for official law enforcement use only. The Flock cameras generate customized alerts for stolen vehicles, stolen tags, sex offenders, people with active warrants and domestic violence protection orders.
"All of our officers here know that it is not for personal use," Wilson said.
Flock Safety, the Atlanta-based company behind the technology, operates more than 120,000 cameras across 49 states used by over 5,000 law enforcement agencies, according to USA Today. On Aug. 13, the company announced new safeguards: every vehicle search must now be tied to a case code, audit assistance is mandatory for all departments, default data retention drops from 30 days to seven, and departments can limit how other agencies use shared data, USA Today reported.
DeFlock says at least 100 cities have deactivated Flock cameras or canceled contracts. Waxhaw is not among them.
Residents can view the department's Flock transparency portal through the Waxhaw Police Department website.
